The Gift
by ShallISayMore
Summary: Strange circumstances have a way of bringing people together, and sometimes the strangest pairs make the best matches. In which there is a hunky swimmer, smart blonde, and a car that breaks down at just the right time. One-shot. Percabeth.


She was never the prettiest girl in the room, nor had she ever tried to be. To her it was more about being real, being who she was than to be remembered. She wanted to be seen as someone that had a story, and not even just a story, a good one. One that could be remembered without extra dramatics. She just wanted to be remembered for who she was and that was it, nothing more and nothing less.

He saw her every day. He saw the way she laughed and the way she cried. She never tried to blend in, nor did she try to stand out. That's what made her so foreign to him. She never wore make up, yet she still managed to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. There was something about her that just made him want to be closer, to know more. It was like she was a magnet to him, and she never even tried.

She watched him in the halls as he passed. He was one of the popular kids. He had it all, the looks, the cloths, the athletic ability, it was all there. She was a nobody, just another body in the hall. He was able to flounce around the hall like nothing mattered, like he owned it, and in this case he did. She would watch as he would float through the school and wonder just how he earned his spot. She wished she had the courage to talk to him.

He watched her as she quietly laughed in the corner with her friends. She was never too loud nor to quiet. Her laugh was just enough that he could hear the sound without being overwhelmed. He would wish that he could be over with them. His friends were annoying and cliché, but he wasn't as smart as she was, he would never fit in with them. He listened to her as she answered the question on the board with amazing accuracy, even the teacher was impressed. He wished he had the guts to talk to her.

She was running late. It wasn't like her not to be well planned out and prompt. She hustled across the hall to her class never looking up from her shoes. She never heard the footsteps that were approaching as she shuffled down the empty hall. The impact was like a punch in the gut. She fell with such force she was sure there would be a mark. It was also hard to miss the strangled cry she let as her body flew back. She looked up to see him standing over her. She was too scared to do anything other than mumble an apology and scramble off.

He watched her retreat down the hall not having time to even apologize before she quickly departed. He had been on his phone at the time of impact, never expecting anyone else to be out in the halls at that weird time. He looked down and saw a note on the floor. It had phone numbers on it. He assumed it had to be hers, her emergency numbers. He looked at the names carefully, dully noting that hers wasn't on it. He decided that he was going to give it back the next time he saw her, or maybe the time after that.

She couldn't help but think of the look he gave her as she sat on the floor. She tried to place it but couldn't seem to find the right emotion. There was no anger on his face as she would have projected; it was more one of confusion. At least that's what she told herself. It was too late now. She had lost her chance to talk to him by running. She reached into her planner for her numbers, like she always did when she was nervous, only to find them missing. It was like part of her was gone too.

He held the numbers in his hand like a life line. If he looked at them one more time they might have become permanently etched into his brain. He saw her as she came down the hall looking as gorgeous as ever. She never tried, but she was always gorgeous to him. She seemed more nervous than usual though, as if she had lost something important. He was done waiting. He took a deep breath as he started to approach her.

She watched as he made his way over to her. She as confused as to why someone like him wanted to talk to someone like her. She caught his eye as he made his way over. With one look her suspicions were confirmed, he was coming for her. There was nothing that could explain why he wanted to talk to her. He had to be mad at her about earlier that day. That was all she could think of as he gave her a small smile as he stood in front of her.

He shifted from foot to foot nervously as he held his hand out to her. She looked down and he saw her eyes light up. She looked amazing to him then, with her subtly excitement and polite smile. It was a small victory, but he knew that he had put that smile there. He explained that it had been on the floor after he had run into her, which he also apologized for doing. She thanked him and politely nodded as she rejoined her friends. He had never been more excited.

She could still feel the nervous butterflies later that day. She sat at home wondering why he had bothered to return a piece of paper that meant nothing to him. She was never more sure that he was as untouchable as he seemed. He didn't have to even bother to apologize; after all she was lower on the social ladder. He wasn't just genetically perfect he was kind as well.

He watched as she was dropped off at school. He had heard through the quiet hum of her friends that her car had broken down. He wanted to offer her a ride, seeing as they were next door neighbors, but he knew that it wasn't his place. A girl like her would never want anything to do with someone as inferior as him. His friends yelled for him as his gaze was still resting on her. He told himself only three more seconds. When his time was up reluctantly looked away, wishing he had said five instead of three.

She was stuck. She had no way to get home after school that day. She had been at a club meeting when her mom called to tell her that she would be home late that night, explaining about a freak meeting that had come up. Of course she had said that it was fine, but in reality she was faced with the ultimatum of walking the four miles in the cold or waiting until eight that night to go home. She didn't know he had heard her talking to her mom and had realized this was his chance.

He approached her slowly. He wasn't sure what to say to her, she was way out of his league. He decided that it was best to just ask her if she wanted a ride. She had to accept of course and he had never been more excited to drive home. He took her to his old pick-up and opened her door for her. He couldn't help but realize how pretty she was. She had a light blush on her cheeks as she slipped into his car. She was quiet for most of the ride but he noticed how she hummed to whatever song was on the radio. He couldn't help but smile.

She was glad that he had heard her talking to her mom. It gave her the chance that she had been looking for to talk to him. He had been very polite and opened her door for her. She fell more in love with his smile every time he would look over to check on her. She had decided that he was perfect the second he had offered the ride. He didn't really try to start a conversation, but she couldn't help but feel that they were having a silent conversation through their emotions. He offered to drive her every day until she got her car fixed. She accepted.

He couldn't believe that he had gotten the courage to offer the rides to her. He had been thinking about asking her all week, but they never seemed to talk. He came right on time to get her and she ran out the second she saw his car. It was easy for them seeing as how they were next door neighbors. She greeted him and he couldn't help the small swell of pride that came from within him. She had started a conversation with him and it came completely naturally. They didn't stop talking the rest of the ride.

She was proud of herself for just saying hello. He seemed pleased too. She wasn't sure if she had imagined it but he seemed almost excited that it had been normal for them to talk. When they had gotten out of the car there had been a few weird looks from the people surrounding them. They almost never talked and now they were riding together. She wanted to cower behind him, but knew that it would only cause more problems. He seemed to understand because he just smiled down at her and walked with her into the school.

He was smiling all day. His friends noticed that he was in a better mood than usual, but none of them bothered to ask why. He would see her in the hall and she would give him a small smile before going back to looking at her friends. He noticed how elegant she looked in even just a small motion. He loved that he was able to exchange just a small gesture with her yet it seemed so intimate. He loved that he was able to be round her and it was natural now. He knew it was going to be a good week.

She loved the way that his pick up would bump along the old road that led to their houses. It felt like an old country song to her. She was comfortable with him now, and she knew he was with her too. It was easy for them. She was smiling more and her friends were noticing. They all assumed they knew why and they were right. She was happy just to be around him. He was a drug to her. She was addicted and just couldn't get enough.

He loved driving with her. He loved to just be around her. She was contagious to him. He was happy when he was around her. He started talking to her more in his classes and soon found out that her and her friends weren't as different from him as he had thought. He loved being around her and seeing her in a place where she was comfortable confirmed that she was the most amazing person that he had ever met. He loved her smile, and he noticed he was starting to get to see it more.

She noticed that he started hang around with her and her friends more. It amazed her that he wanted to, after all her friends were nerds. He could have sat with anyone, but he always seemed to choose to be near her. She loved how natural it was for him around her friends. She knew that if she ever tried to fit in with his friends they would laugh at her. She was never going to be like him and she had a feeling he knew it.

He wished that she was able to hang out with his friends, but he understood why she didn't. They weren't nice like her friends. They would judge her the second she walked up. He had tried to bring her up to them, but they never seemed to like the idea of her becoming one of them. He watched her as she walked with her friends, the ones he loved so much, and he knew then that she was perfect for him.

She had decided that she had to do it. She thought that it was time that she at least tried to speak to his friends, after all if they ever had anything more she would be having to spend a lot more time with them. Her footsteps approached them quietly as she tried to toughen her brain up for the emotional beating it was about to take. She greeted them quietly and they nodded in her direction. He looked a bit shocked that she was over with him that morning, but didn't question her. She noticed that there was a small smile on his face as she left. She decided that she was going to go back, even if they blew her off every time.

He had been driving her for a month. He knew that her car had gotten fixed two weeks prior, but neither of them wanted to end their car rides so they never addressed the problem. He noticed that now that she trusted him she no longer hummed to the songs in his car, she full out sang to them. She wasn't very good, but with every off key note and bad dance move she performed her fell more in love with her.

She noted that he had started taking her places after school. It didn't matter where he just always wanted her to go. She would go to the store with him or just to go get coffee. She didn't mind though, she loved just being with him. He was one of her best friends now. They knew everything about each other and everyone could tell how close they had become. There was talk about her around school now. The moment that he came into her life it had become a rollercoaster of rumors and gossip. It was a good thing that she was never afraid of heights.

He knew that she was getting it bad just for being around him. She had told him of some of the girls that had said things to her trying to scare her off. He admired her for sticking by him though. He knew that they were both this, whatever it was, for the long run. He was in it now and there was nothing people could say to change his mind and he had a suspicion she was the same way. He knew that it was his time now. He had to make a move.

She was waiting for him to take the final step. She wanted it to be official. She wanted to make all the girls that had said those things about her realize that it wasn't just a game for him. She just hoped that she hadn't read into what he was showing her. He would smile and her and touch the small of her back as they walked down the hall or to the car. Those things were enough to almost make her pass out on the spot, but she always somehow managed to pull it together.

He decided that today was the day. He knew the second that she had gotten into his car that today was going to be different. He walked through the halls and everyone knew that he was distracted. It was decided not to bother him by third period. He knew that she was going to ask him why he was acting weird. He just hoped she would wait until the end of the day. It seemed fate had sided with him because his luck held out until final bell.

She knew that something was going to change that day the second she got into the car. She hoped that it was going to be for the better and when she finally asked him what was wrong with him on the way home her suspicions were confirmed. He pulled over and told her how he felt. There was nothing more to it. That day everything changed. She wasn't sure how or why fate had decided to give her him, but she knew that she was going to thank God every day for the gift she had been given.

He was the swim captain, the most popular kid in school. He had it all, all but the girl, not that it would have been hard for him to get one of course. He had been given a gift the day that her car had broken down. He had been given the gift of Annabeth.

She was smart, smarter than most. She was never popular, she was never the outcast. She had the grades and the clubs to get into any college she wanted. She had been given a gift the day her car broke down. She had been given the gift of Percy.


End file.
